Elland chapel gains share of £1m church grant

The Grade II listed Providence Chapel on Huddersfield Road will gain £15,000 from the National Churches Trust

A 200-year-old West Yorkshire chapel is set to benefit from a national £1m funding pot.

The Grade II listed Providence Chapel on Huddersfield Road, Elland, was initially a church before being used by the Citizens Advice service.

The building, established in 1822, has most recently been used as a funeral home, with Elland Christian Centre gaining permission to bring the location back into religious use, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The £15,000 grant from the National Churches Trust meant the building could be made "more suitable for the community", the church said, with plans for a new kitchen, lift and accessible toilets.

Elland Christian Centre said it had outgrown its current base on Newcombe Street, and aimed to hold youth groups, art classes, a dementia support group, a parent and toddler group and a bereavement support group at the new location.

Pastor Andy Freeman said the Christian centre "nearly went out of existence", however it had since seen a growth in its congregation.

"Having run out of space at our current building, we are delighted to be moving to Providence Chapel - restoring it as a place of worship more centrally located to the town and the people we serve," he said.

"This grant enables us to continue to develop the capacity to serve people of Elland."

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North